Reviewer: Holly Archangel's War by Nalini Singh
Series: Guild Hunter #12
Also in this series: Archangel's Kiss, Archangel's Consort, Archangel's Blade, Archangel's Consort, Archangel's Storm, Archangel's Storm (Guild Hunter #5), Archangel's Legion, Archangel's Legion (Guild Hunter #6), Archangel's Shadows, Archangel's Shadows, Archangel's Enigma (Guild Hunter, #8), Angels' Blood (Guild Hunter #1), Archangel's Heart, Archangel's Heart, Archangel's Heart (Guild Hunter, #9), Archangel's Kiss, Angels' Blood, Archangel's Viper (Guild Hunter, #10), Archangel's Viper, Archangel's Prophecy, Archangel's Consort (Guild Hunter, #3), Archangel's Prophecy, Archangel's War, Archangel's Kiss, Archangel's Sun, Archangel's Light, Archangel's Resurrection
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: September 24, 2019
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »
Content Warning: View Spoiler »
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 400
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges: Holly's 2019 GoodReads Challenge
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Series Rating:
Wings of silver. Wings of blue. Mortal heart. Broken dreams. Shatter. Shatter. Shatter. A sundering. A grave. I see the end. I see. . .
The world is in chaos as the power surge of the Cascade rises to a devastating crescendo. In furiously resisting its attempts to turn Elena into a vessel for Raphael’s power, Elena and her archangel are irrevocably changed. . .far beyond the prophecy of a cursed Ancient.
At the same time, violent and eerie events around the world threaten to wipe out entire populations. And in the Archangel Lijuan’s former territory, an unnatural fog weaves through the land, leaving only a bone-chilling silence in its wake. Soon it becomes clear that even the archangels are not immune to this deadly evil. This time, even the combined power of the Cadre may not be enough. . .
This war could end them all.
Archangel’s War picks up shortly after the events of Archangel’s Prophecy leave off. Like everyone else, I was dying to know what became of Elena and Raphael after the quasi-cliffhanger of the previous book.
It’s difficult to review this book with no spoilers. I’ll attempt to avoid them, but be warned that spoilers from previous books are unavoidable.
When we last left Elena and Raphael, they were cocooned in a chrysalis made of pure golden energy. In an effort to save Elena from certain death, Raphael took his immortal heart and gave it to Elena, while taking hers for his own chest. When Archangel’s War begins, they’ve been in the chrysalis for 9 months. Dmitri has been holding Raphael’s territory with the help of troops from Caliane, Raphael’s mother, and the Archangel Elijah, Raphael’s closest ally. The world is holding its breath, waiting to see what the Cascade will bring next. When Raphael and Elena finally emerge from the cocoon, it’s an explosive moment – literally. They blow a giant crater in the Earth. It’s too soon, Elena isn’t ready to be awake, but the world needs them now more than ever as War looms on the horizon…
The question of who and what Elena will be when she emerges from the cocoon is well answered here. She’s the same, yet not. Her bond with Raphael is as strong as ever, and her connections to his Seven and her friends and family are still tight. I loved the early parts of the novel where she reconnected with them. Even her strained relationship with her father is revisited.
The majority of the book is focused on the Archangels’s War. As battle rages on, loyalties are tested and the very fate of the world hangs in the balance. I enjoyed the battle and felt it was as epic as one would expect from Archangels, but it did drag on a bit. I struggled to stay focused during a portion of it, but Singh eventually pulled me back in again. I loved seeing Raphael and his allies stand together against an ancient evil, and I was very satisfied with the way things ended (though it did feel a bit anticlimactic).
I can’t wait to see what happens now. I’m anxious for the next book, and thrilled we’ll get at least 3 more.
This novel is full of action, intrigue and underlying it all, a love so strong nothing can break it. Archangel’s War was everything I needed it to be. Oh, and the Legion? <3 <3 <3
Rating: 4.25 out of 5
Guild Hunter Series
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